Rapunzel's Guest
by Orpah
Summary: Rapunzel ventures out of her tower for the first time, not on account of the floating lights, but on account of a girl who's collapsed none too far from the base of her tower. What differences will her story have with Snow White in it? AU
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Snow White and the Seven Dwarves or Tangled! End/AN/

Rapunzel didn't know it, but it was the day that would change her life forever.

When the black-haired girl had come crashing through the forest, dress torn at, hair mussed up, and generally in a frightful, pale tizzy, Rapunzel had watched with curiosity from the window of her tower. And when the girl simply collapsed, lying face down on the ground and crying, she had felt more than curiosity; she had felt empathy, like she was the one in a frightened mess on the ground.

The girl hadn't seen the tower, somehow. Rapunzel had sat, watching.

Mother would never allow her to leave the tower. Mother always said that danger awaited outside the tower.

Maybe it was that danger the girl had been running from. Rapunzel considered this, though at every moment she wanted to put her hands on the girl's shoulders and maybe hug her. Yes, hugging would be good.

She just didn't look dangerous at all. A frightened child was more what she looked like.

Of course, Rapunzel had never seen another child at all, so she wasn't entirely sure. She knew there were other people out there, but she had never encountered another one.

Animals were gathering around the girl, looking at her and sniffing her.

Rapunzel wanted to be there. And Mother was gone for the next couple of days.

She'd never disobeyed her mother. But how could the girl be dangerous? And she looked like she needed help too.

It took Rapunzel several moments of back and forth, before a giddy need to help took over. If she saw any pointy-toothed men, she would just run back to the tower and climb back up.

With this decision, Rapunzel looped her hair around the hook, and descended from the tower.

It was the first time she'd felt grass under her feet, and it felt cool and sort of moist. She was a bit overwhelmed by the feeling, by the fact that she was out of her tower, and for a moment she just clenched and unclenched her toes in the grass.

Then, still leaving her hair hooked up, she tiptoed towards the girl.

"Hi," Rapunzel started, and the girl looked up in surprise. She didn't seem to have pointy teeth or wicked eyes, only a very pale face and red lips. "Um, are you okay?"

The girl blinked, and immediately sat up, dusting off her clothes and saying in a melodic, though somewhat tremulous voice, "I'm sorry, is this your home?" Her eyes landed on the tower, as though she'd just seen it.

"Well, yeah, but it's okay," Rapunzel said, keeping a short distance between them. "What are you doing here?"

The girl seemed to compose herself, saying, "I… I'm afraid I've no home. I'm sorry to intrude…"

"No, it's okay. My name's Rapunzel, what's yours?" This girl was inherently fascinating to Rapunzel, having only seen one other person all her life. Every way she moved, from her delicate hands to her round head, was different from Mother, and different from Rapunzel herself.

"My name is Snow White," Snow White replied, and she still looked distressed, as though she were a chick that had been unexpectedly dropped. She put her hands in her lap, looking down at them.

"That's a pretty name," Rapunzel enthused, smiling at her. She couldn't imagine not having a home. Home was all she had, plus Mother. It was her world.

"Thank you. Your name is pretty too," Snow White said softly, and she looked up, her eyes landed on Rapunzel's hair, which draped down from the tower. "Your hair is lovely; how have you got it so long?"

Rapunzel shrugged, saying, "I've never cut it. And it grows really fast." She paused for a moment, then, deciding that Snow White was trustworthy, she leaned in and said, "If I cut my hair, it'll never grow again."

"Oh," Snow White said, still eyeing her hair; it wasn't a rude stare, but rather a simple awe at the length of it.

Rapunzel was excited. Snow White seemed sweet, the opposite of any bad things that existed in the world. She was trustworthy without a doubt. And she still seemed to trembling a bit, so Rapunzel said, "Are you hungry? You can come up in the tower; I'll pull you up by my hair."

Snow White seemed surprised, but nodded slowly. She took Rapunzel's proffered hand, and they walked back to the base of the tower.

Rapunzel climbed up, her first time going up into the tower surprisingly easy compared to how she thought it would be. Then, she yelled down at Snow White, "Hold on tight, all right? I don't want you to fall!"

Snow White gave the affirmative, and was pulled up summarily.

When she was up there, Rapunzel served her some of the pie she'd baked earlier; it seemed to do her good.

The question, however, was what to do with her next.

/AN/ I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, but it was fun to write. I may update sometime. J


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Tangled or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! End/AN/

Snow White had seemed to calm down considerably upon being served pie. She was so calmed down, in fact, that she had even corrected the way that Rapunzel was holding her fork – gently, of course.

Rapunzel was delighted. She'd always wondered what other girls her age were like, and had even had a stage where she didn't know for sure if other girls even existed. To be given proof that they did, and that they were nice, was like receiving her birthday present early.

"This is a lovely pie," Snow White said softly, taking another delicate bite. She had seemed a bit awed at the crisp crust when Rapunzel had brought it over, testing it discreetly with her fork before she even took a bite.

"Thank you! I made it myself," Rapunzel replied, grinning. It was apple, her favorite; she always enjoyed baking a good pie.

"You must show me your recipe," Snow White said with a small smile, polishing off the last couple of bites. If she was starving, she didn't act like it; there was something very polished about her manner of eating, far more so than Mother's or Rapunzel's herself.

Rapunzel had been brainstorming questions the whole time that Snow White had been eating, and now that she was done, they burst forth like a geyser. "Are there a lot of girls like you out there? How old are you? Oh, oh, do men have pointy teeth, and are there a lot of ruffians and thugs? Do people get eaten every day?"

Snow White seemed shocked, blinking rapidly at the onslaught. "_Eaten_? Goodness, no. No gets eaten that I've heard of." She seemed to try to process the rest, answering a bit slowly, "I suppose there are many girls in my kingdom, as well as in this one. If we are indeed in Corona, that is. I haven't seen any men with pointy teeth, and I don't suppose there are a _lot_ of ruffians and thugs..."

She seemed to try to remember all the questions, then brightened a bit as she remembered the last one. "I'm 14. How old are you?"

"14? I'm 18," Rapunzel replied, feeling a bit giddy with the knowledge. Here was someone _younger _than her; she could teach her everything she knew!

Snow White smiled back, saying sweetly, "When shall you be married?"

"Married?" Rapunzel repeated dumbly, the question sounding very strange to her. Married? To whom? She glanced about the tower, then admitted, "I'm not getting married any time soon. I don't really know anyone..."

Snow White got a dreamy look on her face, sighing and saying, "I hope to marry someday; I've already met the man I want to marry."

Rapunzel wasn't sure if 14 was a good age to marry at, so she didn't object. A weird feeling seemed to spread in her chest, one she couldn't identify; it felt like warm ice. She wanted to protect her friend, and she had never met a man who she could say was safe. "Are you sure you want to get married?"

"Yes, of course," Snow White said seriously, smiling at Rapunzel. "Someday, he'll come for me, and we'll live together in his castle."

Still feeling uneasy about the whole thing, Rapunzel nodded, and was about to reply when a call came up through the window.

"Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

Eyes widening, Rapunzel hissed, "Quick, you have to hide!"

"Why do I have to hide?" Snow White asked in confusion, as Rapunzel pulled her up from her seat and looked around desperately for a place to stash her.

"Um, well, you see, I haven't really had visitors before, and I'd rather not surprise my mother," Rapunzel said, pulling her towards the center of the room. Where to hide her? Her eyes landed on the armoire. Yes, perfect place, she decided, and hurriedly pulled Snow White over there.

"Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"

"In here?" Snow White said, stepping up into it without the slightest bit of a fight.

"Yes, hurry!" Rapunzel said, making sure all parts were inside the armoire before closing it tightly. "Stay quiet, I'll let you out in a bit!" she hissed through the crack in the door.

"Rapunzel!"

"Coming, Mother!" Rapunzel hastily threw her hair over the hook, and pulled her mother up with as much strength as she could.

"Rapunzel, whatever took you?" Her mother stepped into the tower, face quizzical. She glanced around the tower, as though searching for clues.

"Well, Mother, I have something to tell you," Rapunzel said, tucking her hands behind her back.

"Hm?" Mother looked in the mirror, smoothing out her lines with her fingers. "What is it, dear?"

"Well, you see, I'm actually more grown up than you think I am," Rapunzel said, grinning. She was sure to show her mother how much she'd grown up by rescuing a frightened girl.

"Rapunzel, dear, did you eat this much pie by yourself?" Her mother looked at the pie pan with what looked almost like disgust. "Dear, you're going to get chubby..."

"No, Mother, wait. Here's what I did that proves I'm a grownup now," Rapunzel said, trying to keep her mother's eyes on her. They seemed to wander a bit, as though what she were saying wasn't interesting to Mother... which couldn't be the case, so it was strange.

"All right, Rapunzel, what is it?" Mother sank into a chair, holding her fingers up to her temples.

"I left the tower to-"

"You left the tower?" Mother Gothel was up in an instant, face white with shock. "You _left _the _tower_?"

"Well, yes..." Rapunzel trailed off a bit. This wasn't how Mother was supposed to react.

"Rapunzel! You _never_ leave the tower, do you understand?" Mother's face was getting the color back, and the color was red. "Do you even understand what could have happened to you? You could have been seen and taken away by evil men!"

"But Mother, you see-"

Mother Gothel seemed to clear her throat, get some control over her reddening face. "You could have been _eaten_, Rapunzel. Do you understand that?"

"I understand, Mother..." Rapunzel was a little frustrated. She couldn't seem to get a word in edgewise.

"Every person out there besides me, well, they are bad, Rapunzel. They will tear you apart and sell the pieces!" Mother Gothel was looking tired now.

"Well, not everyone-" Rapunzel started, but she was quickly cut off again.

"Everyone, Rapunzel! You can't trust a single soul besides me," Mother Gothel said, and she heaved a big sigh, opening her arms to Rapunzel. "My dear, I know you don't know better; that's why I'm here to protect you."

Rapunzel went into her arms, feeling a sinking in her chest. She didn't know what to tell Mother now, and whether or not Snow White should be mentioned at all. Perhaps she should get her out of the tower once Mother was gone...

"I love you, sweetheart, that's why I work so hard to protect you," her mother said softly into her hair.

"I know, Mother," Rapunzel said, hugging her tightly.

"Don't ever leave this tower again, Rapunzel." Mother Gothel held her tighter, stroking a hand through her hair.

"Yes, Mother," Rapunzel replied. It was decided; she would get Snow White out of the tower as soon as possible.

/AN/ I hope you liked it. It's more challenging to mix these two stories than I thought it would be. It's kind of fun, though. I intend to make this a fairly long story, hopefully!


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Tangled or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! End/AN/

Rapunzel stood nervously in the center of her tower. Her mother had left, with the promise that she would be back in a couple of days with new paints and other supplies. Now, it was up to Rapunzel what to do with Snow White, who undoubtedly was waiting in the armoire and wondering what was going on.

Snow White didn't seem bad. It was hard to think of her as someone who would tear her apart and sell the pieces. But Mother was to be trusted, and she sighed as she walked over to the armoire.

She opened the armoire slowly, looking inside to see Snow White blink against the light.

"I'm sorry if I was the cause of the argument," Snow White said softly. She had probably heard the raised voices, but not made out the words, or else purposely ignored them. It wasn't that muffled inside the armoire, Rapunzel knew from the times she'd played hide and seek.

"Oh, no, you weren't," Rapunzel said with a smile that felt like it was cracking her face. She liked Snow White. She didn't want to have to tell her to leave.

Snow White seemed to know that something was wrong, because she looked at her with the most innocent expression and asked, "Are you all right?"

This was actually painful for Rapunzel. She'd never had another friend before, and it was hard to even consider turning her away in her time of need. What if she had nowhere else to go? What if she got eaten or torn apart and sold for pieces? "Snow, I have to tell you something…"

"Yes?" Snow White still had that look her eyes, mostly like she couldn't fathom Rapunzel being anything but kind. There was still the slightest glimmer of 'Oh no, that tone is not good' in her eyes, however.

"You have to leave. My mother doesn't want you to be here, because I can't trust anyone…" It sounded stupid, coming out of Rapunzel's mouth, like some silly made up reason. In her head, she could still hear her mother's urgent tone, but it seemed to lose it in her voice.

"Oh. Oh…" Snow White sat down heavily, looking paler than usual. She looked up, face full of concern. "Have I done something wrong?"

"Well… no, not technically…" This was really hard. Rapunzel looked away, biting her lip. Snow White couldn't truly be bad, could she? Mother would want her gone, though. "But you have to go. You can find somewhere else, can't you?"

Snow White spoke faintly, as though she were a ghost. "I believe I might be able to seek refuge in the castle of the King and Queen of Corona, but I don't know if I can make it there. A girl on her own is not safe…"

A sort of lump rose in Rapunzel's throat. She couldn't just send Snow White into the world alone and defenseless. "Well, how far is it to the castle?"

"It's a few miles." She bit her lip, as though thinking of the horrible things that could happen to her. "The Queen might send people to find me, even into Corona… I don't know what to do."

A few miles wasn't far, was it? A new, dangerous idea tickled Rapunzel's mind. Her mother wouldn't be back for a day or two… But she wasn't supposed to trust Snow White.

She looked at the girl, thinking that there was no way anyone could look at her and not trust her. Perhaps Mother had simply not met anyone like her before; perhaps she wasn't bad, but Mother just didn't know that.

"I could… I could come with you." Rapunzel marveled at the words. Secretly, she wanted to leave the tower; her first taste outside had awakened a curiosity that burned in her chest. It wasn't far, anyway, and she would get back and Mother would never know.

"Oh, thank you," Snow White said, putting her arms around Rapunzel. "I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't met you."

Rapunzel hugged back, noting how small and light Snow White was compared to Mother. It felt like hugging something frail, almost, instead of Mother's sturdy build.

It was only moments later they were climbing down, Snow White first, and then Rapunzel. She clenched her toes in the grass, only the second time in her life she had felt it. She took in a deep breath of the air, a giddy bubble rising in her chest.

"Which way do we go?"

Snow White smiled softly, and started in the direction of the trees beyond. "I believe this way; once we reach a road, we'll know for sure."

Rapunzel ran in the direction, feeling the air rush through her hair and reveling in the fact she could just _run_, just keep going and going until she reached the trees. She burst into the foliage, looking around with glee. She had never been this far from home. She looked behind her, at Snow White, who was jogging to catch up. "Are you coming?"

This was going to be amazing.

/AN/ I hope this was good. It's actually rather fun to try combining these stories. Very much a work in progress though. It's very interesting, since they're like more than 70 years apart in production. I'm also hoping to have more character development for Snow, because, you know, she's not that dynamic in the movie. I mean, you can't give them crap for that, it was the first full length animated film, but if it were made today, it probably would be torn apart by critics.


End file.
